Unexpected Encounters
by HellHathPie986
Summary: Trafalgar Law has set out for pirating with his crew and happens to run into one of the most notorious pirate ships on the sea. But it seems he won't be needing a fight or flight response for this encounter, only his skills as a surgeon and perhaps a higher alcohol tolerance. No pairings, only fluff.
1. The Good in the Bad

The Grand Line truly was a terrifying and erratic place for anyone to sail, either experienced or otherwise. The constantly changing weather and threat of attacking monsters were definitely something no one could ever fully become accustomed to, but one bit of advice most sailors on these seas come to accept wholeheartedly is to expect the unexpected at anytime. Not to mention a guy who had spent some of his childhood and most of his teenage years on these seas should know just how unpredictable it was, but right now Trafalgar Law was met with yet another horrible sea storm. The only difference between this one and the last three he and his crew experienced in the past hour alone was that if you were to take the strength of the prior storms, add them all together and multiply it by ten you'd still get no where close to the magnitude of this cyclone.

Law stood in a doorway leading to the entrance of the submarine, practically throwing his crew members that were outside in through the entrance as waves threatened to toss the vessel halfway across the ocean. He braced himself as one more wave toppled over the deck and washed a few unsuspecting men against the railing, drenching everything in its wake. Law cursed under his breath before dashing out into the storm, hauling the crew members to their feet and shoving them in the direction of the door. The men obliged quickly, eager not to waste their lives this early in the journey as they rushed for the entrance. The Heart Pirate's captain surveyed the area one last time, looking for any stragglers left behind before darting for the door as well. Suddenly, a large wave swept up the sub, causing it to tilt nearly ninety degrees in the air and successfully sending Law crashing into the railing he had just come from. Through the torrential rain and churning sea the pirate could hear a few men shouting "Captain" at the top of their lungs. Law glanced straight across the deck and noticed something large and dark slowly growing much taller than the vessel, extending hundreds of feet into the air.

The pirate captain let a grin of anxiety and fear creep over his expression before scanning the deck for anything useful that could float.

"Captain! Hold on!" Called a voice that sounded suspiciously like Shachi. Law cursed under his breath before laying eyes on a life preserver stuck to an outside wall of the submarine.

"Shut the doors!" He called to his crew members before climbing to his feet.

"But Captain…"

"Shut the damned doors!" Law swore under his breath again as his obstinate crew tried to save him when it wasn't currently possible. The pirate quickly made his way across the inside of the railing and reached up for the floatation ring. He yanked it from its fastenings and quickly shoved it over his head before the sky grew even darker. The last thing Law remembered seeing was the enormous wave cascading over the submarine before sending him tumbling into the ocean, successfully separating the captain from his ship.

~0~

Something seemed to be turning him in all different directions, as if he had jumped from the tallest cliff in the world and was now tumbling down the side, doing summersaults while plummeting to his death. Law suddenly sprung to attention, breathing haggardly and feeling as though he really had splattered on the ground after some cliff diving thrill gone horribly wrong.

"Looks like somebody's finally awake." An unknown voice commented off to the pirate's side. Law swiveled his head, meeting the eyes of another man. The stranger was casually sitting in an ordinary wooden chair, his purple shirt completely unbuttoned and showing off a large tattoo engraved into his chest. His head was entirely shaved except for a blonde tuft on top and his expression looked rather tired, yet relieved at the same time. Law couldn't help but think he had seen this man's face somewhere before.

"The name's Marco, First Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates." The man introduced himself. Law cocked an eyebrow, realizing the déjà vu he was currently experiencing was from a few wanted posters he had happened to read in the newspaper a little while back.

_Wait, Whitebeard?_

The Heart Pirate's captain glanced around, noticing the room he was in wasn't exquisitely decorated but also wasn't that of a third rate pirate ship. He sat on a fairly comfortable bed, his legs still covered with a warm blanket and he noticed a glass of water on the bedside table. Law turned back to Marco.

"Where am I?" He asked a bit hesitantly, the events from before he was rendered unconscious playing through his head.

"The Moby Dick, of course. A few of the crew members noticed you were just floating around in the middle of the water not moving and decided to pull you aboard. Good thing we did, or else you might be dead by now." Marco explained straightforward. Law scoffed at the thought of him dying out at sea now of all times, grinning as he swung his legs over the side of the bed before standing up.

"Then I guess thanks are in order." He stated calmly, noticing his clothes had also been changed. Marco gave him a skeptical look but dropped it for a casual smile after a moment, standing as well when his guest gave no signs of collapsing from fatigue.

"No need, we were just helping a fellow man." The division commander stated, extending a hand. Law followed suit and shook it.

"My name's Trafalgar Law, captain of the Heart Pirates." The pirate introduced himself. The other man grinned before turning away.

"Come with me, I'll show you around the place." Marco suggested, heading over to the door. The pirate captain considered it for a moment and decided to oblige before he realized he was still barefoot. Law looked around, finding a pair of shoes sitting next to his bed and began putting them on before replying.

"Actually, I was wondering if I could use a Den-Den Mushi to call my crew. We managed to get separated in a storm and they're probably wondering where I am." The pirate stood up again and approached Marco who began opening the door.

"Of course, it's just down this…"

"Division Commander!" Called a man who was running though the hallway. He stopped in front of Marco, a grave expression on his face which seemed to be infecting the blonde's features as well.

"What is it?" The man hesitantly asked, but it looked like he might have already had an accurate guess on his mind.

"It's Ace, his condition has just gotten worse!"

There was a tense moment of silence following the report. After a little while Marco regained his senses and cursed before turning to his guest.

"Sorry, it seems something important has come up. Squardo here can show you the way." He stated off handedly. Just as Marco was about to dash the same way Squardo had come from, Law grabbed the man's arm and held firm. The division commander glanced back at him with a look of confusion mixed with a bit of anger while the pirate began to explain himself.

"I'm a doctor, if someone's sick I might be able to help." The captain stated. Marco blinked a few times in utter shock before narrowing his eyes and speaking again.

"Follow me." The division commander ordered, quickly taking Law's arm in his hand and pulling him along through the hallways as fast as they could go.

~0~

Law removed his surgical mask, hefting a large sigh as he stood in front of his ill patient. Portgas D. Ace lay resting on a cot with all manner of machines running through his body showing the state of his organs and administering various drugs into his system. Marco, the ship's doctor, and another man named Thatch were the only others in the room since they couldn't exactly trust some random stranger who had shown up half dead only a few hours earlier with their weakened crew mate.

"Well?" Marco asked. The three men looked anxious beyond belief and hadn't stopped watching the rookie pirate captain's every movement since he first stepped into the room. Law had already come to a conclusion about his patient but was hesitant to relay his thoughts to the other men in the room because he knew he was about to be met with a lot of resistance from the second division commander's friends. After all, he wasn't entirely sure he even believed his own diagnosis. Prior to becoming the captain of the Heart Pirates, Law's past wasn't exactly what a typical boy experienced. For over a decade he had worked for the infamous pirate captain Doflamingo, traveling the world on the man's ship and in his adventures on the seas Doflamingo had made a pit stop at Gekko Moria's enormous vessel for whatever reason which had given the younger pirate doctor a chance to explore the ship and come across Dr. Hogback's research notes. Law vividly remembered reading novel upon novel of illnesses the likes he had never even dreamed of, which was where his current diagnosis of Portgas D. Ace originated from. But what was worse was that the theory he was basing Fire Fist's ailment off of hadn't even been proven yet, not even by the man who had first discovered it. Apparently Hogback had only come across it in some cadaver he had happened to dissect for whatever reason.

_Oh well, here goes nothing._

"Disconnect all of the machines, get me a tub large enough to fit Mr. Portgas and fill it a quarter of the way with sea water." He instructed, walking over to the first of many intravenous lines and pulling it from Ace's arm. A hand clamped down on his and Law looked over to see the elder doctor glaring fiercely at him.

"Are you joking? Those are the only things keeping him alive!" The old man practically yelled at the other. Law narrowed his eyes and gruffly pulled his arm away from the elder doctor.

"These things are speeding up his untimely death; get rid of them now or get rid of your friend. And where is that tub?" The last part was directed at the two still sitting, torn between wanting to beat the life out of the guest pirate or believe his side of the story. Suddenly, both commanders snapped to attention and ran off to comply with Law's orders, bursting through the door and running down the hall. The pirate scoffed and returned to his work. But the Whitebeard doctor grabbed his wrist once again and thrust it away from the injured man.

"I told you to knock it off! What could a greenhorn like you possibly know about medicine?" The elder man demanded, gripping Law's wrist as if goading him to defy his superior's wisdom.

"Have you ever heard of The Devil's Virus?" The pirate captain suddenly spoke up. The elder doctor took a moment to see if Law was asking a serious question or not.

"Of course I have, brat. What respectable doctor this day and age hasn't? It attacks Devil Fruit users and causes their powers to become unresponsive; either a specimen loses its abilities or is consumed by them." The pressure on Law's wrist began letting up the longer the two talked but it seemed the older man was still in need of a bit more convincing before believing the younger's diagnosis. The elder doctor continued. "But Ace is showing none of the symptoms, nothing but a fever twenty deg…"

"Degrees high than his core temperature should be. Yes, I know. This must be a mutant strain caused from a parasite rather than a virus. I've only read about it in one of Dr. Hogback's research journals a while back, but I'm certain…"

"A _theorized_ strain? And you're expecting me to believe you've managed to get _your_ upstart hands on Hogback's research? How gullible do you think I am? !" Law was suddenly dragged away from the cot, being pulled towards the door by the surprisingly strong doctor.

"Do you have any better ideas? !" The pirate exclaimed, not exactly thrilled about being accused of trying to kill the second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates in front of the fearsome captain himself.

The older man stopped in his tracks, obviously battling between which to believe; a complete stranger or his decades of medical knowledge. Law swallowed heavily as the odds didn't look too good in his favor. Just as he was about to drop to his knees and hopefully win the man over with a bit of pleading, his wrist was let go of. The pirate stood still for a moment before realizing this was his chance. He managed to disconnect all of the IV lines and every machine except the heart monitor just as Marco and Thatch reappeared in the room with a very large tub.

"Set that on the ground there and come help me carry Mr. Portgas into the water." Law ordered. The first and fourth commanders both sent a glance at their doctor who gave the pirate a skeptical look.

"But if he's in the water won't that drain his strength?" The man questioned. Law let out a haggard breath, rapidly getting more irritated with their hesitation.

"That's the point. Right now Mr. Portgas' Devil Fruit powers are taking control of his body and cooking his insides. I would be surprised if he hasn't already developed some sort of mental defect with his internal temperature rising so quickly." At that bit of information, Thatch and Marco immediately sprung into action. They went to each side of the cot and gingerly lifted their friend while Law wheeled the heart monitor along with them. The two commanders gently set Ace down in the water and were shocked when large amounts of steam began to rise from the liquid as soon as Portgas made contact with it.

"That's only his Devil Fruit powers releasing. Mr. Portgas must have been holding them back with the remainder of his strength for some time now." Law stated reassuringly. But of course the news probably wasn't very reassuring to the doctor who hadn't been able to do anything for his fellow crew member. Trafalgar walked over to a drawer and began taking out many instruments and preparing a sedative only to be met with more resistance.

"Now what are you doing?" The old doctor asked.

"Preparing for surgery, obviously. By the way, prep the patient." Law said. It sure was nice having a completely competent and experienced assistant for his use. Which reminded him; "You two should get out. Unless you don't mind watching your comrade getting cut up." The pirate was also tempted to send the old codger away but decided he should probably keep the only one in the room, besides himself, with advanced medical knowledge around even if the old man did get on his nerves.

Marco and Thatch exchanged surprised looks before consulting their ship's physician again.

"What the hell does he mean "cut up"? What did we miss?" Marco asked exasperatedly. The doctor grumbled something under his breath but also followed the other pirate's lead in setting up.

"It's a parasite located in your friend's heart. If it isn't removed soon there will be no saving him." Law evenly stated as if he was just saying the time of day. The news caused Marco to blanch while Thatched looked as if he was about to pass out. "Of course we might already be too late, I've only ever read about this disease before and apparently it works very quickly." The pirate captain began setting knife after knife on a tray as he eagerly pulled them from several drawers. Marco took a step to regain his composure and also managed to steady Thatch as the man nearly toppled over.

"Don't you have any idea how to say these things in a more reassuring manner?" The old doctor chided. Law just doused a rag in his newly concocted sedative and approached Ace.

"I can reassure these two that if they don't get the hell out they'll also be getting a dose of this stuff to keep them unconscious for a few days." The pirate threatened. The two division commanders suddenly regained all sense of urgency and dashed out of the door, shutting it firmly behind them.

"Now then, back to the procedure."

~0~

Several grueling hours of endless surgery later had Law walking out of the room with a slight stagger to his step. He immediately noticed Marco and Thatch who were directly in front of him and had apparently found a couple of chairs in order to stake out the door. The men sprung up the moment the knob was turned, their expressions switching from anxious to absolutely fearful as soon as they saw the younger pirate doctor walk out severely lacking in color.

"Hey, what happened? You were in there for over six hours! You said it was just a parasite in his heart, right? Is Ace going to make it, will he be alright? !" Thatch asked impatiently. He had placed both of his hands on Law's corresponding shoulders and was looking right in the doctor's eyes with a puppy-dog expression, hopeful for some good news. Trafalgar narrowed his eyes and rolled the thirty-or-so sheets of paper neither commander had noticed were in his hands into a tube. Law smacked the role on Thatch's forehead unexpectedly, causing the man to back up with a perplexed expression on his face.

"_Just_ a parasite in his heart? Do you know the odds of success for open heart surgery under such poor conditions as these? ! I had no prep time! I didn't even know what the hell I was doing besides basic surgery! These," Law explained, waving the heavily-inked pages at the fourth division commander's face, "are probably the _only_ notes of successful medical practices on this type of parasite! In fact, they're probably the only valid documentation on it! I'll have them published as soon as I can get into some port town, might save somebody's life in the future." The pirate captain finally finished, calming down after ranting at the two extremely inexperienced men. The two commanders blinked with owlish expressions before glancing at each other and returning to gawk at the doctor.

"Don't worry, they have nothing about Mr. Portgas or anything to do with the Whitebeard pirates written in them. In fact, that old doctor didn't even want…" Law was cut off as Thatch grabbed his shoulders again and shook him a bit.

"Wait, what was that? Say that again!" The man demanded with a ghost of a smile on his still fearful expression. The pirate doctor raised an eyebrow and tried to think what exactly the man wanted him to repeat.

"I told you, there's nothing to do with…"

"No, no, not that!" Marco explained, also looking like a hopeful child about to receive a piece of candy. "You said it was a successful medical practice and those notes might save someone's life in the future, does that mean Ace is okay?" The two of them looked about ready to explode from the anticipation and Law found it quite hilarious that he had two of the strongest Whitebeard division commanders so easily under his thumb.

"Well, yeah. I thought that part was obvious." The doctor said offhandedly. "The old geezer is still in there making sure Mr. Portgas doesn't go unstable on us. He told me to step out and get some fresh air." Law suddenly realized that he was talking to a wall as Marco and Thatch ran around one of the corners and out onto deck.

"Hey! Everyone!" The pirate captain could hear Marco call out to what he thought was just a group of worried crewmates on deck.

"Ace is gonna be alright!" Thatch called out right after his friend. All of a sudden an enormous eruption of cheers rang out into the air at that bit of information. Law flinched slightly at the sound, wondering just how many people could possibly fit on this ship and were now on the front deck. From what it sounded like, there might also be a few other pirate ships docked around Whitebeard's main vessel, but the noise was just phenomenal. The doctor decided to check it out, leaving his notes on one of the chairs and peering around the same corner both Marco and Thatch had disappeared behind only to be met with a dozen ships surrounding the front of the Moby Dick along with what looked like the entirety of the Whitebeard crew out in plain view as well. Gun shots and canons rang out, signaling just how excited these people were to hear about Fire Fist Ace making it through his surgery. Law blinked, completely stunned at just how crazy these people could get over one person. Suddenly, two familiar figures came up beside the doctor and latched their fingers around his upper arms, successfully pulling him from his hiding spot and parading the pirate across to the bow of the ship. More cheering and gunshots sounded off as the doctor was brought out and introduced as the one who saved Ace. Law swore that if he was struck by any of these stray bullets he'd personally see to it that Thatch and Marco both experienced cruel and painful deaths.

Just as the words "cruel" and "painful" came to mind, the doctor was enveloped in a large group hug. Several pirates wrapped their arms around to embrace him, several pulled him into a side hug before messing up his hat and hair with "loving" noogies, a few punched him in the arm and Law could've sworn some even smacked him on his ass. Just as he thought the endless appraisal had ended, a very large man (whom Law recognized as Diamond Jozu) hoisted the doctor onto his shoulder and began marching him though the ship as the followers shouted out their excitement.

"Let's party!"

"Drink until you drop!"

"Ace is alright! Let's eat for his health!"

"Crack open the good stuff! This is a special occasion!"

_What have I gotten myself into…?_

~0~

AN: i had actually written this several months ago in hopes to some day integrate it into my other fanfic "Back Story" but obviously that's never going to happen. but good news! (or bad news?) only one more chapter to go unlike "Back Story" and "Consequences" ;)


	2. Promises

Law stumbled through one of the many hallways in the Moby Dick, counting down the room numbers until he reached the one he'd been looking for. The drinking songs that had been sloppily sung until early in the morning were severely messing with his ability to think straight, their catchy tunes always causing the pirate to momentarily forget what he was thinking for a bit. That, and he might have had one drink too many while at the celebratory party.

Okay, more like fifteen too many.

Law hiccupped in self-satisfying bliss, turning the door knob and barging into Ace's recovery room to check on the patient one last time before heading off to bed. The pirate doctor could hear the tell-tale sounds of the elder doctor who been left in charge now happily asleep and to make matters worse the sick man was no where to be seen.

Law took a moment to fully compute that bit of knowledge before sighing bitterly and leaving the room. Marco had warned him about this and told the doctor there would only be one thing Ace would neglect sleep for.

Law headed straight for the kitchen.

A few minutes later and the Heart pirate's captain was standing in the doorway of the mess hall, watching as Whitebeard's second division commander shoveled horrifying amounts of food into his mouth. It seemed the other pirate was doing just fine, but Law also wanted to run a few tests before letting the man gallivant around as he pleased. Trafalgar entered the room and took a seat opposite of Ace, his overconsumption of alcohol causing the walls and floor to dance around a bit. It took the other a moment to notice someone else was in the room, but of course he didn't even bother swallowing whatever was in his mouth before speaking.

"Err ha aiy oo ayyd eh!" Ace said as the revelation hit him. Law exhaled deeply before flicking a piece of meat which had landed on his nose and sending an incredibly unimpressed glare at the man sitting across from him. Ace swallowed and chuckled airily, completely ignoring how obviously annoyed the doctor was.

"You're the one who saved me, right? The old doctor told me all about you." The division commander then set down his fork and placed both hands on the table before humbly bowing his head. "Thank you very much, I will never forget this kindness that you have shown me." The man graciously stated. Law was honestly a little impressed about the guy's manners after his complete lack of any just a few moments earlier.

"Don't mention it." Law replied, a sudden wave of a huge wave of fatigue knocking into him and causing the pirate to yawn.

"Did the crew have a party without me or something? Man, I'm really going to have to give Thatchy a talking to." Ace stated bitterly. The doctor couldn't tell if the other man was being serious or not and the thought made him giggle.

"That's what happens when you contract life threatening diseases." Law joked. He suddenly reached out a hand and snatched a cookie off of Ace's plate, quickly taking a bite before the division commander had a chance to protest.

"Go get your own!" Ace defensively stated, drawing his plate closer to himself.

"Can you blame a guy who worked straight through dinner and spent an entire party drinking nothing but alcohol or avoiding overzealous and thankful friends of Mr. Fire Fist Ace?" Law countered, taking another bite and never breaking eye contact with the man across from him.

"Just Ace is fine, no need for formalities." The division commander said, grinning at another one of Law's horrible stabs at joking. This man's humor was seriously skewed, but that's what seemed to make it so laughable.

"Well you seem to have some pretty incredible blood running through your veins, it's not everyday someone lives through a couple of hours of surgery on a completely undocumented parasite." Law popped the rest of his dessert in his mouth and reached for another. Surprisingly, Ace let him have one.

"Parasite? As in some creepy bug living inside of me?" Fire Fist seemed absolutely disgusted by the very thought and looked down at the bandages covering his chest as if he was expecting another to come crawling out.

"Yeah, I made sure to get a container with holes in it and everything; now you can keep the little guy forever. I also managed to cut out a chunk of your liver so it has something to nibble on from time to time." The doctor devilishly stated, snapping the cookie in half before tossing a piece into his mouth. Ace began turning several wonderful shades of green which made Law snicker fiendishly.

The two talked casually for a little while, exchanging stories and making jokes until Ace lounged back in his chair with a completely full stomach and satisfied sigh. Law spoke up.

"Well, it seems it's time for bed. I also need to run a few quick tests to make sure you don't die in your sleep." The doctor stood up and began making his way over to the second division commander, managing to only stumble once.

"You sure you can walk?" Ace snickered and also began to stand. "Besides, don't you need to tell your crew where you are?" Law stood in front of the other man and shook his head.

"Already did. They seemed pretty mad though."

"Mad? About what?" Ace asked with humor evident in his question.

"It might have been because I'd already drunk enough to intoxicate several elephants and probably because Shachi's the one who picked up. He said something about being worried sick and then I told him to drink plenty of fluids and to not eat anything that was greasy or fatty." Ace started laughing hysterically at the doctor's false diagnosis and Law just questioningly stared at him before continuing. "I couldn't exactly hear what he said next since the receiver had been taken away from him but he sounded pretty loud and angry in the background. Penguin said there were a few things that needed repairs on the sub but they'd be here by morning." The captain finished as Ace continued to laugh before eventually managing to compose himself and clap a hand on Trafalgar's shoulder, causing the man to stumble in order to stop himself from falling over.

"You know, you're a really interesting guy. Ever consider joining the Whitebeard pirates?" Portgas asked, giving the other man a sincere smile. Law only returned the offer with a skeptical glance and Ace realized he'd have to do a little more persuading. "Come on, it's loads of fun here! Your crew can join as well! Pops is great and treats all of us like sons." The second division commander said. Law considered the offer for a moment before smirking coolly and swatting the hand off of his shoulder.

"No thanks, I've got other ambitions I need to accomplish first." The doctor easily stated. Ace chuckled and wrapped an arm around the other's shoulders.

"Suit yourself, Lawsy. I guess I could always try to convince my little brother to join; there's always something interesting to do when he's around." The division commander snickered at the thought.

"Little brother?" The doctor inquired, ignoring the bad nickname he had just been given as the two began heading for the exit.

"Yeah, we aren't related by blood but he's still the most important family I've got. His name's Luffy." Ace stated proudly. Law cocked an eyebrow since he had never given it a thought that Portgas D. Ace could have a little brother. Then again, he never expected he'd get the chance to find out about the commander's private life face to face. Fire Fist pulled out a neatly folded piece of paper from his pocket and unwrinkled the creases before holding it out for the doctor to see. Sure enough, written underneath a goofy picture of a teen with a straw hat read the name "Monkey D. Luffy" on the wanted poster. Law had the sneaking suspicion that he had heard that name before somewhere but decided to pay it no mind, however, not before he managed to run into the door frame on the way out of the cafeteria.

"You okay Lawsy?" Ace asked as he tried to hold back a horrendous laugh.

"Yeah, perfectly fine." Law grumbled under his breath as he held a hand to his throbbing nose and carried on through the exit with Ace's arm still wrapped around his shoulders. "Let's just go back to your place and finish up some tests." The pirate doctor said. They were just leaving the mess hall when a sudden heavy weight appeared on Law's shoulder, nearly dragging him to the floor. He looked over to see Portgas currently dangling from his sweatshirt and completely unconscious. The doctor shook the other man, trying to wake him up only to come to a conclusion that it was pointless.

_Perfect._ Law sarcastically thought. The pirate doctor maneuvered around his narcoleptic patient, slinging the man's arms over each of his shoulders and hoisting the second division commander onto his back. It took him a moment to get a decent rhythm down in his walking pattern so he didn't drop the recovering man or suddenly collapse, but after a while he managed to get himself in front of Ace's door without running into too many walls. Law kicked the door open, finding the room to be void of any other living being. He vaguely wondered what happened to the Whitebeard pirate's doctor before entering and heading for the cot. He pulled back the sheets and set Ace down, laying the man on his back and searching for his blood work charts. Just as the doctor took a step from the bed an unexpected hand shot out and latched onto Trafalgar's wrist then quickly retracted, tugging the man off of his feet. He landed unceremoniously on top of Fire Fist with the division commander's immovable arms reaching around and securing him into place.

Law sighed, cursing his intoxicated mind.

"Mr. Portgas, I would appreciate it if you let go of me." The pirate warned, trying to push himself away but to no avail. When nothing happened Law scowled and tried a different approach.

"Ace, if you don't let go I'm going to cut off your hands and feed them to your parasite." That got a reaction from the unconscious man but not one the doctor had been hoping for. Fire Fist tightened his grasp on Trafalgar and rolled over, successfully dragging the pirate onto the rest of the bed as Ace lay on top of him.

Yet again he wondered just what he had gotten himself into.

A light snore escaped from the division commander's mouth and Law realized he wasn't going anywhere any time soon. Not to mention the surgical knives where on the other side of the room… But the prospect of sleep was also extremely inviting and soon the pirate captain was overtaken by his drowsiness, causing him to drift off into the land of dreams just as the sun began to crawl over the horizon.

~0~

"Come on Thatchy, we have to wake him up. Pops wants a word with him."

"But they're just so darn cute together like that. Do you really want to disturb something so tranquil?"

"Tranquility doesn't matter, just shake him awake already."

Law slowly pried open one of his eyes, wondering who could possibly be disturbing his sleep so early in the morning. He looked up when his vision became clearer and noticed the fourth and first division commanders standing over him, suppressing what looked like tears of laughter. The pirate slowly began to register his surroundings and moved one of his arms, brushing against something smooth and warm. He looked over and saw that it was an arm not belonging to himself and suddenly the events which happened a few hours ago came flooding back. Trafalgar was now fully awake, realizing he had been snuggled against Fire Fist Ace all night; his head resting on the other man's shoulder, an arm draped over the other's chest and their legs tangled together.

_Oh the marvelous blackmail these two have on me…_ Law thought bitterly as he pried himself from the second division commander's grasp and crawled out of bed. He glared over at the other men with the slightest hint of a blush and they burst into hushed hysterics, no longer able to hold anything back. The doctor rolled his eyes and pulled on his shoes before heading for the door. He stepped out and immediately noticed Thatch and Marco on either side of him, dragging him through the hallway.

"Sorry about that, but Pops wants to speak with you." The first division commander stated, a smile plastered on his face betraying his words of apology. Law grumbled but allowed the two to pull him along.

They arrived at a door no different than the hundreds of others on the ship and Trafalgar wondered if the two really were taking him to see Whitebeard. After all, he expected the captain of the Moby Dick to have something grand about his room, like an enormous door leading into some sort of lavishly decorated foyer filled with exquisite art work and furniture; but then again the simplicity also suited him. Whitebeard seemed like the kind of man who would want any luxuries to be displayed out in the open for everyone to see and enjoy.

Marco opened the door and motioned for the Heart pirate's captain to enter. Law hesitated for a moment, wondering what exactly he'd be met with on the other side but ultimately strolled in. As soon as he was through the entrance, Marco left; shutting Trafalgar in with arguably the most powerful man in the seas. The thought was daunting but Law decided to push it away for the time being. The first thing the doctor noticed was the incredibly large amounts of medical devices lining the walls, reading off all kinds of different signals as they preformed each of their jobs. Cables and tubes littered the floor, leading from the machines in a somewhat disorganized mess up to the Captain himself who occupied a very large chair almost directly in front of the door.

Trafalgar swallowed, feeling a bit nervous as he approached one of the Yonko. Whitebeard gave him a completely unreadable expression with his jaw set and eyes narrowed which only served to intimidate the rookie captain all the more. Law refused to let any of the anxiety he was feeling show on his face though and chose to just give the man a polite yet ordinary smirk. The two stood like that, eyes locked and facial features unwavering until Whitebeard burst out laughing.

"Gurarara! So this skinny punk's the one who saved Ace?" Whitebeard called out, his laughter bellowing across the room and vibrating through the pirate doctor. Law's expression also lost some of its politeness. With all of the jabs at his age over the years the pirate was honestly beginning to believe he would never be recognized as an adult until he grew a few more feet in height and gained two hundred pounds of muscles.

"Yes sir. And I'd have to say that he's quite the practiced physician." A familiar voice answered from a corner of the room. Law turned and found the old doctor from before attending to one of the machines. He immediately felt a bit of relief since someone was now present in the room that could vouch for his benevolent presence on the ship.

"That's quite a compliment coming from a stubborn old mule like you." Whitebeard remarked.

"I don't want to talk about age with you of all people." The doctor retorted. The comment would cause anybody who was self conscious about their age to become angry, but the captain obviously had no problem with it as he heartily laughed at the quip. The doctor pushed a few buttons which made several new lights come online before he shut the open slots. The man approached the rookie pirate and smiled.

"It was good meeting you, Dr. Trafalgar. I apologize for being skeptical of you in the beginning, but you understand right?" The elder stated, extending a hand. Law returned the smile and shook the other doctor's hand.

"Of course, doctor. And likewise to you." The younger said. Whitebeard's doctor then bowed to his captain before heading to the door and departing.

And just like that he was all alone with the infamous pirate captain once more.

"Trafalgar Law, is it?" Law was suddenly snapped out of his thoughts as he was addressed once more. There was no point in hiding every single detail from the captain, so he decided to answer the man's questions as simply as possible before leaving the Moby Dick.

"Yes, sir."

"You have quite a talent at such a young age. I don't suppose you'd given it a thought to join my crew and become one of my sons?" The old captain offered. The man's expression was warm and caring, leaving no room for betrayal and Law knew it even in the back of his mind that the man meant everything he said. The thought of having someone to look up to as a father was enticing, but Trafalgar already had dreams he wasn't quite ready to give up yet.

"Thank you for the offer, Mr. Whitebeard, but I have to decline." The younger captain stated, smiling politely. The old Yonko chuckled.

"Suit yourself, kid. But the amount I'm currently indebted to you is much more than I could ever hope to pay off." The captain said, reaching for something to the side of his chair. Law was about to speak up when Whitebeard cut him off.

"I don't normally do this, but if you ever find yourself in a pinch," The old man quickly scrawled something across a piece of paper and tore it off, handing it to the younger. Law took it and examined the writing. "Feel free to call this frequency and it'll connect you to my personal Den-Den Mushi."

The Heart pirate's captain just stared at the paper in shock; to think he'd get a promise like this from one of the most fearsome men in the world. He quickly pocketed the note and turned back to the man sitting in front of him.

"Thank you for the gesture. It's always good to have someone powerful to rely on." Law said, bowing his head out of gratitude. Whitebeard chuckled.

"I heard your crew is arriving soon. You should go out on deck so you don't miss them, kid."

Law huffed quietly; something about old people always made them clump anyone twenty years younger and under than they were into a "child" category, but he decided to ignore it since he was just given something as valuable as Whitebeard's personal contact information. The rookie pirate gave his thanks once more before turning on his heels and heading for the exit. Just as he was about to twist the knob for the door, Whitebeard spoke up once again.

"There's something about you that seems familiar." The old captain suddenly said. Law turned around with a quizzical look on his face, his hand still resting on the knob.

"And what would that be?" He asked, not entirely sure where the other man was going with this. A moment of silence passed and Trafalgar was somewhat regretful he hadn't just said something to drop the conversation before heading out the door.

"You're Doflamingo's favorite brat, aren't you?"

Law's heart skipped a beat as the question was thrown out into the open. The pirate's grip tightened suddenly, leaving indents in the metal of the door knob with a soft crunch before he had a chance to stop his reflexes. Trafalgar quickly composed himself as if nothing had happened, hoping Whitebeard hadn't noticed his sudden fit of rage.

"We've had dealings in the past, but those days are over." Law stated, twisting the knob and pulling the door open. He hadn't been able to bring himself to look the captain in the eye so he had no idea what the man's expression was telling him about what was on the elder captain's mind, but the man's tone gave everything away.

"If anything happens, do not hesitate to use that frequency." Whitebeard stated firmly, verbally convening the message that he wouldn't hesitate to sail across the most treacherous seas to honor his agreement, no matter who the opponent was. The thought put a smile on the younger pirate's face as he headed out the door and to the deck.

It seemed without even joining the old captain's crew he was already the man's son.

~0~

Law came out on deck and found the familiar faces of his crew as they smiled and cheered that their captain was alright. Bepo ran up and engulfed him in a hug before picking up the man and twirling him around. Trafalgar shouted a few times for the bear to let him go and when the talking animal did he was met with Shachi and Penguin attacking and embracing him. The two looked up at their captain with tears streaming down their faces, saying how they were so worried he had died. Law only rolled his eyes and pushed the two away, telling the both of them to stop having such wild imaginations. Of course the friendly gestures didn't even stop there when Marco and Ace came up beside the doctor and each wrapped an arm around his shoulder as Thatch stood next to the first division commander.

Trafalgar had had enough and ordered his crew to get ready to set sail. As the Heart Pirates were departing Law stood out on the deck of his submarine and waved a few times to the slowly disappearing Whitebeard crew who were shouting for them to come and visit some time soon.

Some weeks later a very large package was delivered to the Heart Pirate's submarine practically filled with the latest in high-quality medical technology. Law didn't need to read the tag to know it was a thank you present from his new "Pops".


	3. Response

Law had been staring at the object in his hand for a while now, contemplating whether he really should get rid of it or not. Whitebeard's Den-Den Mushi contact frequency sat there unmoving, staring back at him and reminding the pirate captain of the promise that had been made to him just a few weeks ago. Everyday Law would see it in the exact same place he had stuck it the moment he arrived back on his ship and the paper usually only caught his eye from the corkboard he had pinned it on, but now the pirate was heavily contemplating its true worth. After all, Law was positive that even when faced with the most horrifying of obstacles in his path he wouldn't call for help from an outside source. He liked to work with the things that were at his immediate disposal, not having to rely on faraway trump cards.

A knock suddenly came to the captain's medical office but he didn't need to hear the voice to know it was his first mate.

"Come in, Bepo." He called out, not even bothering to turn away from the paper in his hand. The bear entered and headed straight for the man.

"Captain! It's terrible; Shachi and Penguin are fighting again!" The first mate said in a panicked tone. Law cocked an eyebrow and sent a glance over at his friend who was obviously overreacting for a matter so trivial. If those two weren't arguing over some little disagreement on a regular basis then the captain would think something serious had actually happened. But the pirate wasn't given the chance to ask what his subordinates were bickering about this time as something very akin to an explosion ripped through the air and shook the floor he was standing on. The captain then gave his full and undivided attention to the other pirate in the room.

"What the hell was that?" He asked the bear.

"The Marines! I told you Shachi and Penguin were fighting!" His friend replied in alarm. Law's expression changed from an inquiring glance to complete confusion.

"Don't you think you should have mentioned who they were fighting in the first place? !" The captain questioned exasperatedly. He didn't even bother waiting for an answer and ran right out of the door, crumpling the paper in his hand and tossing it over his shoulder just before he left. Bepo watched as the object sailed through the air into the garbage bin and stared at it, knowing exactly what it was and wondering why Law would discard it.

The captain came outside to find Penguin calling out orders for half of the crew to prepare to dive under water as Shachi shouted for the other half to load the undersea torpedoes. All looked to be fine and dandy, what with the underwater warfare strategy in progress, and if it weren't for the figure standing on deck of the Marine's ship several hundred feet away the pirate would gladly allow things to transpire at their current pace. Trafalgar internally cursed his bad luck for somehow calling to attention this unexpected guest and activated his Devil Fruit powers as the enemy continued to fire canon balls closer to his ship.

"**Room."** The captain said as he unsheathed his nodachi and watched for oncoming attacks. Canon balls were launched clear across the water and would have hit the submarine too if Law hadn't quickly intercepted them, slicing the projectiles in two and causing them to veer off in different directions before they had a chance to make contact with his vessel.

"Captain! We're clear to dive!"

"The torpedoes are all loaded, Captain!"

Law grimaced when the reports were relayed to him and he managed to slice one more steel ball in half before it blew a hole in his submarine. The pirate glanced up at the opposing vessel and frowned even deeper as he could no longer see the man in charge of the Marine ship out on deck.

The enemy was currently out of sight and that could only mean the other man was on his way over for a fight face to face.

"Everyone, inside! As soon as that door closes prepare for submersion and steer the sub across to the enemy ship." The captain ordered just before cutting down three more steel balls. A chorus of men all saying "Aye aye, sir!" was then heard as his subordinates filed inside to comply with their captain's commands. Law didn't budge and continued to watch for the enemy who would soon be making his way across the stretch of ocean to the pirate's ship.

"Captain, we're all set. Come on!" Shachi called from the doorway he had been instructed to depart through. Trafalgar glanced over his shoulder and noticed no one left outside, only Shachi could be seen standing on the other side of the entrance. He smirked coolly and raised his hand to the same height as his shoulder before rotating his wrist one hundred-eighty degrees and using his powers to shut the door that lead inside of the submarine. If his crew was loyal and smart enough then the sub would be diving below the ocean anytime now.

But it seemed he might have been just a little too late. Ice suddenly erupted from the Marine ship and began stretching across the expanse between his and the enemy's vessels, scattering over the surface and sending a cold chill through the air.

Admiral Aokiji was on his way.

Before he could shout for his crew to hurry up and submerge the ship already, water began crawling up the sub's exposed sides and sliding over the deck. Law quickly jumped to the highest peak on his ship and watched as the Marine Admiral dashed across the icy surface on his way to meet up with the rookie pirate captain. Just as his shoes were about to be completely covered in water, Trafalgar leapt from his sub to the approaching ice, narrowly dodging the admiral and sliding to a halt. Law turned to face his opponent and let an arrogant smirk spread across his lips.

"What brings you 'round these parts, Mr. Admiral?"

~0~

Today had been rather uneventful and the lack of anything going on was seriously driving the second division commander up a wall.

Quite literally since he had actually tried to see how far he could sprint up the highest wall on the ship without any aid from his powers or otherwise.

Ace sighed and conjured up a few fire balls, jugging five in his hands as he strolled through the halls of the Moby Dick in his quest to find something productive to do. If either Marco or Thatch could see him now he'd be getting an earful of a lecture, nagging him that if he left any more scorch marks on the walls of the ship he'd be forced to repaint the whole thing by himself. Portgas didn't blame them for making that threat since there were definitely some sizable burns etched into various parts of the huge vessel, and of course none were from Marco even though he was also able to control fire.

That goody two-shoes.

"_Brr brr brr_"

Ace stopped in his tracks, dismissing his fire as he heard the sound of a Den-Den Mushi on the other side of the door he was in front of. Fire Fist took a look around his current location, realizing he was currently outside of his captain's room and that it must be Whitebeard's snail ringing on the other side.

"_Brr brr brr_"

The second division commander wondered where his captain was at the moment but came to the conclusion that the man obviously wasn't close enough to hear the snail. Ace decided he should probably enter and answer the call. After all, the captain only gave out that frequency to specific people so whoever was on the other end must have something important to say. The pirate entered his captain's room just as the Den-Den Mushi called out once again and he picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" Ace answered politely, waiting for a reply.

"_HELP US!"_ The voice on the other end called out, causing the division command to recoil from the volume.

"_You idiot cry-baby! Give me that!" _Another voice yelled in the background and Ace assumed the new person had snatched the receiver from the first. _"This is Shachi from the Heart Pirates. Is this Whitebeard?"_

Fire Fist blinked in confusion, wondering why the Heart Pirates were calling. Were they in trouble…?

"No, this is Portgas D. Ace speaking." The pirate replied as he thought of different scenarios currently going on at the other pirates' location.

"_Fire Fist, huh? Well, we're in a bit of a predicament and could use your help if it doesn't inconvenience you."_ The man on the other end stated, hope for an affirmation to the request in his voice. Ace considered his schedule for the day before responding.

"I'm completely free, what do you need me for?"

A minute of silence passed on the other end and the pirate momentarily wondered if they might have gotten disconnected. Just as he considered hanging up and calling them back Shachi spoke again.

"_Our captain is in a bit of a pinch and could use your help."_ The man said. Ace waited for a moment, expecting the other to continue but he didn't.

"What's going on over there?" The commander questioned as he worried for his friend's safety.

"_Admiral Aokiji is currently attacking and the captain is fighting him alone. I don't think we can get out of this without your help, Ace."_ Shachi stated in a worried tone.

"Send me your location and I'll be there right away."

~0~

Law breathed heavily following his intense workout of dodging several large and sharp pieces of ice thrown his way along with many other close calls delivered by his opponent. Blood trickled down the pirate's cheek and dripped off of his jaw after spilling from the fresh and deep slice running practically from his nose to his ear, reminding the man that he needed to pay closer attention to his surroundings. Just as Trafalgar began regaining some of his composure Aokiji rushed him again, sending many deadly and accurate blows to just about every vital area on the captain's body. He managed to evade and block them for a while but eventually tripped on the uneven ice which left him wide open. Law was sent tumbling across the ground after having taken the full brunt of the Marine Admiral's fist to his gut. The pirate could hear his nodachi skidding across the ice as it left his grasp and stopped further away from him than he would have liked it to.

Casual footsteps approached and the captain coughed several times, trying to quickly regain the air in his lungs. Aokiji stopped several feet away and spoke.

"I'm only here on business, Surgeon of Death. My direct orders weren't to kill you specifically, only that if there was anybody in these waters I am to escort them elsewhere. But with pirates I'm encouraged to use force." The man stated evenly, giving away neither joy nor grief in his tone. Law chuckled and began pushing himself up from the frozen ground.

"A faithful dog as always it would seem." The pirate said as he stood and brushed himself off, relinquishing the ice that had dusted his clothing before it had a chance to melt. "I'm really starting to wonder if any of you government hounds can actually think for yourselves." Law stated, crossing his arms and a sending a smug grin to the man in front of him. "Then again, it would be much more difficult to brown nose your way to the top when straying from orders, hmm?"

Aokiji had had enough of his impudence and before Trafalgar had a chance to make another smartass remark the marine was in the pirate's face again, but this time Law was actually able to grab the fist that was aimed for his nose.

"You're slipping, Mr. Admiral." The captain teased with his same arrogant smirk. He raised his other hand and placed his thumbs together before calling out one of his favorite Devil Fruit moves.

"**Counter shock"**

Lighting erupted from his hands and caused Aokiji to swiftly retreat or get intensely shocked by his enemy. The marine managed to escape with minimal burns but was now intent on finishing the other off. He charged once more only to stop when an explosion shook the ice the two men were standing on. The marine glanced over to see the men aboard his ship scrambling around and assumed Trafalgar's submarine had something to do with this.

Law also heard the noise and immediately jumped to the conclusion that his mates were trying to draw the marines' attention away from him so he could somehow escape, but another unexpected attack had also happened at the exact same time. Pain shot through the captain's abdomen, running up his spine, through his brain and to every corner of his body as the sensation alerted every cell in him of the throbbing in his midsection. Trafalgar clasped a hand to where the pain was greatest and pulled it away, noticing that blood coated his palm and a few fingers.

_A gun shot?_ The pirate internally questioned as he tried to suppress any noise of pain that was trying to escape from his mouth. But that theory made no sense; he was currently facing away from the enemy ship and the wound was only spilling blood from the front side of his torso. Not to mention he didn't even hear a gun shot, regardless of the explosion from his crew. Law sank to one knee, no longer able to support himself as he pressed his hand to the fresh wound once again. Just as he thought things couldn't get much worse footsteps quickly approached and he only managed to conjure up enough strength to look up quick enough to watch as Aokiji slammed a fist into his jaw.

It seemed the marine wasn't going to take notice to his new crippling injury.

Trafalgar slid across the ice and coughed bitterly, hacking up more blood; a mixture from the split skin of his lip, in his mouth and the injury to his gut. The pirate's vision swam and his hearing was having a hard time discerning the pounding in his head from the noises outside but he managed to role out of the way as an ice javelin was sent gliding through the air to skewer him as a present from the marine admiral.

The skittering of something metallic moving slightly across the ground came to man's ears and when he cracked his eyes open he could see it was his nodachi. Law quickly took hold of the sword and held it over himself to block an attack just as Aokiji lunged with a katana made from ice in his hand. The pirate grunted from exertion as the injury to his abdomen throbbed and sent twinges of pain across his body, warning him of the possible consequences from applying so much strength in his weakened state. But it was all to be a futile attempt; Law wasn't strong enough and the marine's blade was drawing dangerously closer to him with every passing second. Just as the pirate captain was about to give in and accept his dismal fate a blast of heat flashed in front of him and the admiral was suddenly gone.

Trafalgar took a moment to see if maybe his mind was playing tricks on him or if he had actually died but the shooting pain in his stomach told him otherwise. Law lowered his blade as he came to the only logical conclusion and when he rolled his head to the side he found his hypothesis was indeed true. Jogging up to the injured pirate lying on the ground was none other than Portgas D. Ace.

The second division commander of the Whitebeard pirates came skidding to a stop next to Trafalgar, stumbling a bit as he tried to steady himself on the ice.

"Jeez, you look terrible Lawsy!" Ace announce with a stupid grin on his face. Law frowned, wondering just what divine providence had managed to bring this idiot to his rescue. Then again he did have the Yonko's contact info in his medical office, he just needed to know who made the call.

The only people that came to mind were his trio of miscreants, but this time instead of reprimanding those guys for their dumb decisions it seemed he'd have to find a way to thank them.

"What the hell took you so long?" The captain asked as evenly and loudly as he could, which was pathetic at best. Fire Fist seemed to finally notice all of the blood and injuries on the other pirate which made his expression drop. But the commander was unable to aid his friend as he suddenly had a very angry marine admiral to deal with. Ice spears where shot through the air and threatened to run straight through Ace, but of course he managed to dodge every one of them.

"Portgas D. Ace, what are you doing here?" Aokiji asked a bit peevishly as he locked his attention on the only other person standing. But it seemed he had only traded his previous opponent for one that was able to move efficiently. The same haughty grin spread out over Fire Fist's lips as the man's entire demeanor gave away his arrogance.

"Just stopping by to visit a friend, maybe bake some cookies or play a little poker." The younger man replied with a shrug of his shoulders. But the marine was unamused by the joke and charged at his new opponent. Law watched as the battle between fire and ice began, vaguely wondering what his next plan was going to be. He definitely needed to get away from the marines; maybe if he could somehow call Bepo and get his submarine to surface near him? He could leave Ace to defend himself against the marines (which wasn't much different than what he was doing now, considering the horrible pain in his abdomen coupled with his inability to move) and hell, Ace probably brought that dinky little boat that only he can operate correctly since it was created to accommodate his Devil Fruit powers so he had the perfect escape vessel.

But Law's thought process was cut short as Portgas came sliding over to him suddenly, skidding across the ground on his lower legs and face while the man's butt stuck gracelessly in the air. The commander slowed as he approached, the top of his head just barely running into the pirate captain's foot when his momentum stopped.

"What in the hell are you doing?" Law asked as Ace pushed himself into a kneeling position, rubbing his head when he sat up.

"Damn, he's a pretty tough guy." Fire Fist stated practically to himself.

"Are you kidding? You can melt every one of his attacks." The captain retorted. Steam rose from the division commander as he evaporated the water inhibiting his ability to make flames.

"Well why don't you give it a go? Let's see how you like it when he drenches you at every chance he gets." Ace replied in a snarky tone.

"Is that supposed to be an excuse? The great Fire Fist Ace is now making excuses?" Trafalgar countered curtly. Ace frowned comically and leaned over the other man so he was looking directly in the other's eyes, pointing his index finger until the tip was just brushing the end of Law's nose.

"I'm trying to help you out of this predicament, you know. Keep making those cheeky retorts and I might just leave you be." Fire Fist threatened loosely with no intension of backing up the claim. But the statement caused Law to shut up and Ace smiled snootily before return his attention to the marine who was sending yet another attack directly at the two.

"**Hiken"** The pirate called out as his fist combusted into flames before colliding with the ice spear that would have skewered the both of them unless something had been to stop it. The projectile was reduced to nothing but steam as Ace stood up, flashing an arrogant smirk at the admiral. But just as he was about charge at the enemy a thin film suddenly encompassed the three men in a circle.

"Hey Law, is this–" Fire Fist questioned as he glanced around at the tinted dome.

"It's not me." Trafalgar interrupted, also glancing about. Aokiji also seemed mystified by the new sight but all three weren't prepared for what came next.

In the blink of an eye Law, Ace and Aokiji were transported to some island, no longer standing on ice but on solid earth. The three men quickly looked about the place, taking into account the fact that they were now on some tropical island surrounded by palm trees and bamboo stalks with other varying vegetation growing to the point where even the sky couldn't be seen. The warm air was inviting after the freezing environment supplied by the marine admiral but the arrows pulled taut against bow strings pointed directly at the pirates and marine officer were not. Ace raised his hands over his head in surrender as he took a gander at the men currently threatening to impale him and the two others with the sharp objects. They had tanned skin and toned muscles with nothing covering them but a loincloth and a few tattoos.

"Hello." Fire Fist attempted to say pleasantly, hoping this wouldn't have to turn into some sort of fight since he already had an admiral and critically injured man to deal with. But of course the pirate was wishing for too much.

~0~

AN: ;~; don't make fun of me, i know this story turned out just like the other ones x_x yes for a while this one did say "completed" but obviously i have commitment issues and an over active imagination so... expect another chapter :)


	4. Pursuit

An arrow pointed directly at Portgas D. Ace's nose, threatening to impale the man if he even dared to move a finger. The pirate glanced from the tip of the spear to the man holding it, meeting the gaze of a very strict-looking guy that didn't seem too much older than himself. The second division commander considered something for a moment then decided it wouldn't hurt to speak up and inform the island inhabitants that he and the other two weren't here to cause any trouble.

Well, maybe he could make something up on the spot and turn them all against Aokiji…

"Good afternoon, sir." The pirate said with a friendly smile and nonviolent demeanor about himself. "I'm not entirely sure what's going on, but I guarantee that we aren't here to fight you." Ace finished, expecting some amount of settling down to go on with the other men after calmly reasoning his side of the story but was only met with more angry glares and the man pointing an arrow in between his eyes to start ordering him to do things. Or at least that's what he thought was going on since the division commander couldn't exactly understand what the other was saying.

"Watashitachiha kōchijo ni tsureteiku tame ni koko ni iru. Kōfuku suru ka korosa reru!"

Ace blinked in confusion and shot a glance down at Law who only returned the gesture with a perplexed stare of his own. Whatever language was being spoken neither pirate had ever heard before.

Just then someone from behind roughly secured both of Portgas' hands and forced them behind his back as rope was twined around his wrists. The pirate frowned, thinking of what to do now since time was running out and the decision of whether to run or not had to be made soon.

Wait, what was he thinking? Of course he wouldn't let himself be taken into custody! Ace smirked deviously before thrusting his hands apart, successfully snapping the wimpy rope attempting to bind him, extended his arms outwards and shot a large cordon of flames from the ends of his fists which caused the locals to stagger back in surprise. The fire just barely licked some of the foliage at its ends, since the division commander didn't exactly want to burn down the whole island, and sent strong waves of heat which caused all of the men surrounding him to back up and turn away. When he ceased his Devil Fruit powers the native men were left standing in utter shock at what had just transpired.

Ace glanced down at Law as the rest of his plan began unfolding in his head while the other pirate just stared boredly at him.

"Show off." The surgeon stated as if the situation they were in was just some casual get-together and Ace was only boasting his skills to be the center of attention. The man grinned arrogantly before responding.

"The only way to leave a crowd is with a flashy exit." Fire Fist retorted with a snicker. Just as Trafalgar was about to counter with a quip of his own he suddenly found himself being lifted from the ground. The pirate felt as familiar strong arms wrapped around his shoulder blades and underneath his knees before hauling him up into the air when the second division commander decided to carry his injured friend princess-style.

"What the hell do you think you're…"

"No time to talk, m'lady." Portgas interrupted as he then began sprinting into the jungle. Right now he wasn't going to deal with the homicidal locals or marine officer and decided to just get away from this scene to somewhere that wasn't threatening to take his or Law's lives. Unless of course he managed to drop the other pirate seeing as Trafalgar was currently landing several decent punches against his chest and jaw.

"Stop that you idiot!" Fire Fist stated angrily to the man in his arms as he managed to dodge a few strikes while still evading oncoming tree branches and various other greenery in his way.

"Put me down! I can run on my own, dumbass!" The Surgeon of Death replied in an irritated tone, but Ace just continued jogging along his current path.

"What? Did that wound in your stomach suddenly give you the power to sprint faster than a cheetah or something?" The division commander sarcastically asked, avoiding another blow to his jaw when Trafalgar decided to give the man a piece of his mind for making that joke. Unfortunately this whole argument caused the second division commander to lose focus of where exactly he was going and wound up running straight off of a cliff.

Okay, it was more like a hill. A very steep and inclined hill with loose dirt that ended up leading to a cliff. The pirate barely had a chance to try and slow himself down from running right off the end but ultimately lost his battle against gravity anyways before hurtling straight over the side. Ace shouted loudly as he began falling to the canopy below while Trafalgar called out several profanities that went completely unnoticed by Fire Fist since the man was currently focusing on the freefall and trying to direct himself to an area that was even somewhat suitable for crashing through.

Of course, they were headed straight for more dense jungle so he didn't have much to choose from.

At the last moment Ace managed to shift Law to a new position in his arms so that Trafalgar was leaning against his chest, straddling the man's waist and had his arms wrapped around Fire Fist's neck while the division commander held an arm underneath the injured man for support. The two pirates plunged through the tree tops with Portgas trying his best to take most of the impacts against braches and such himself until he managed to get a hold of a vine, gripping it as tight as he could while sliding down until he and Law slowly came to a stop just before reaching the ground.

Ace slowly pried open his eyes, not realizing how tense he was from the fall until he let go of the plant and hopped down a few inches to land on the jungle floor. Law also loosened his death-grip from around the other pirate's neck but stayed slumped against the division commander's chest, his breathing somewhat labored.

"You okay, Lawsy? You seemed a bit frightened." The pirate teased playfully with a grin on his face. Trafalgar grumbled something under his breath that Portgas couldn't understand even with the other being so close to his ear, but he knew it was along the lines of some angry retort. Law then lifted his arm and smacked his fist into the back of the other pirate's head, however, the attack was lacking any sort of force which the elder pirate had been displaying just a few minutes ago. But even though he appeared to be completely spent it seemed Law wasn't going to give in to his fatigue quite so easily as he began sitting up in the other man's grasp and demanding to be let go of.

"Put me down." The pirate doctor growled between his teeth as he continued to glare at the man currently holding him like a child. Ace thought it over for a moment but obliged nonetheless and steadied the other as he climbed off of the division commander.

"You're even more stubborn than me if you think you can walk with a wound like that." Portgas said as he noticed the amount of blood that had soaked into Law's sweatshirt. But the surgeon just ignored what the other said and began to take a step.

Even before Trafalgar managed to place his foot back on the ground Ace had to intervene or let the man fall over.

"Geez, Law. You really are exhausted if you can't even take one step." The other pirate commented as he wrapped Trafalgar's arm around his neck and his own around the man's waist.

"Not everyone can be as resilient as you, Mr. Portgas." The surgeon replied, breathing fairly heavily from his effort.

"I thought I told you to just call me Ace." Fire Fist stated as the two began walking. Their pace was slow but Law couldn't go much faster than a few shuffles every now and again which made the division commander that much more tempted to just toss the other over his shoulder and do all of the walking himself. But before he had a chance to whack something heavy over the back of the surgeon's head, knock the man unconscious and sling him over his shoulder the two pirates were suddenly sent crashing through the ground. Ace managed to land on his back with the other pirate on top of him, causing both men to wince and groan in pain. Fire Fist opened his eyes and looked around, noticing something rather annoying about what had just happened.

Both pirates were currently lying in an oversized pit fall. How embarrassing.

Before Portgas had a chance to sit up and devise another brilliant plan to get him and Law out of their newest situation a very familiar arrow was aimed at his forehead.

The pirate swallowed heavily before sending a cheeky smile at the man currently standing over him. He was indeed the same one from before and how this man was able to find the two was beyond the division commander's comprehension.

"Sorera o musubu, mijikai otoko ga tejō." The stranger called out to one of his men who approached with a few materials in his hand. Ace scowled when he recognized the objects to be rope and a pair of handcuffs.

Sea Stone, most likely.

Suddenly, Trafalgar was roughly removed from lying atop Portgas and hauled away from the pirate. Ace shot out an arm as he tried to keep the indigenous men from doing anything to harm his friend anymore than the man already was only to have his wrist clamped in the pair of handcuffs.

Today was just not his day.

Trafalgar Law lay with his crest pressed against the ground as one of the men tied his hands together behind his back with the rope. Fire Fist couldn't help but notice how much paler the doctor had become and he vaguely wondered what was going to happen to the both of them. But his question was answered when the pirates were lifted to their feet after having their wrists bound and were now being marched to a ramp that led from the bottom of the pit fall to the ground above.

It seemed like they were being led somewhere and Ace had the sneaking suspicion that Law was going to have a difficult time with that.

"Wait!" The second division commander stated as he stopped walking right at the bottom of the ramp, refusing to go any further as he turned to address his captors.

"My friend is hurt and can't move very easily so let me carry him on my back." Portgas said as slowly and clearly as he could while still making it sound like he was having a normal conversation so it didn't seem like he was trying to belittle the natives. The man he was speaking to sternly replied a few things to him, probably telling the division commander to get his ass in gear and keep moving, but the pirate quickly interrupted the other and tried to clarify what he said.

"Hear me out!" The man proclaimed as he decided to continue trying to influence the strangers into agreeing with him. Portgas hopped into the air and slid his handcuffed hands underneath his feet, successfully bringing them from behind his back to in front of his chest. Ace repeated what he'd just said but made corresponding motions every once in a while to enforce what he was talking about with movement.

If these men didn't understand his implications now then the pirate didn't know what he'd do.

A moment of silence and questioning glances passed through the group after the pirate finished and Ace knew that his chances of persuading the others were slim at best. He looked over at his pirate friend to see that Law was barely able to stand; the shaking in his knees and heavy breathing would instantly give away the man's fatigue and strain to any bystander.

Of course that bystander would first have to completely ignore the large amount of blood soaking through the doctor's clothing.

A few unintelligible words were exchanged between the indigenous people before, to Ace's surprise, they dragged Trafalgar over to him and untied the injured man's wrists. Fire Fist's handcuffs were also beginning to be removed, but only from one hand. It allowed for Law to be carried by Portgas and also made it so the fire-user couldn't use his powers. Not that he would, of course, since the doctor didn't look like he was up for another adventure through the jungle.

There were two men on either side of Trafalgar and looked to be the only things stopping the man from collapsing to the ground. When the elder pirate was hoisted onto Ace's back and the division commander's hands were cuffed once again Portgas finally realized this wasn't going to be as simple as he thought it would be. Not only did he have Sea Stone handcuffs inhibiting his powers and draining his energy, but now he had to trek through this forest over whatever terrain carrying about 170 pounds on his back.

~0~

AN: Excuse me while I sit in my corner and fangirl endlessly as I imagine Law in Ace's arms.

and if you didn't notice, the native people were speaking japanese.  
huehuehue~ i'm so funny ;D

Translation (compliments of google translate):  
1st: we are here to take you into custody  
2nd: surrender or be killed  
3rd: tie them up, handcuff the shorter man


	5. Regroup

Ace expected to be lead to some kind of camp with teepees and mud houses since the natives didn't seem like they had the right materials for something more advanced or any means to get anything shipped long distances to their island. But of course when he walked into their village he was met with a big surprise.

It wasn't a village, it was a fricken metropolis. Everywhere Ace looked he could see technology and buildings much more developed than what people in loincloths looked capable of producing, especially seeing as he was currently being held at mercy with bows and arrows. But then again, the Grande Line does work in mysterious ways.

Portgas was paraded through the streets with Law still draped over his back. The doctor's breathing was shallow but Ace could no longer feel any of the other man's blood leaving trails down his back which he considered to be a good sign. As they walked it seemed the civilians weren't one bit afraid of the two intruding pirates, some even came within a few feet to gawk at the spectacles being lead through their city. Ace felt like doing a little jig and tossing up a few fire balls for sport, but his hands were a little full at the moment so the man decided to try and entertain the locals later.

They marched down the cobblestone road until they reached a very large and very ornately decorated building that looked as if it housed someone extremely important. Ace had a feeling he and Law were supposed to go inside, but there seemed to be a million steps leading up from the street to the front door and Ace was pleading internally that he wouldn't have to climb them while still shackled in Sea Stone.

In front of the stairs to the enormous building was a raised circular stage with only five steps leading from the street level onto it. The men seemed to be leading the two prisoners there and as he got closer, Ace noticed there seemed to be some sort of pattern lain out with tiles. However, the pirate couldn't put his finger on what the design represented as his captors suddenly broke away and stepped off to the side of him. Two men came up one on either side of the pirate and each grabbed him by his upper arm before leading him onto the stage as spectators began gathering around.

Ace vaguely wondered what was going on as he was brought to the center of the stage but shortly became less composed as one of his wrists was released from the handcuffs.

"What…" Portgas tried asking what was going on but was quickly silenced with something hard and heavy striking the back of his head. The division commander's mind swam as images in front of him became distorted; however, he managed to keep conscious as he fell to his knees while his captors clapped his freed wrist in Sea Stone again. Ace glanced over to see Law also kneeling on the stage, his hands tied with rope behind his back and fresh blood trickling from the gunshot wound to his gut.

And right on cue, their situation took a turn for the worse.

Lightning struck the ground in front of the pirates, forcing them to look away or risk going blind. It only lasted a few seconds and as soon as the bolt was gone, Ace's eyelids fluttered open as he cautiously looked up. What he noticed first was a man standing in front of him who looked to be the chief of the village. He was decorated with several tattoos, various animal skins and a feathered headdress along with an angry scowl as he glared down at the two pirates.

Ace was speechless as the man scrutinized him up and down. If he was going to have as much luck communicating with this man as he'd had with the other natives, Ace could only assume he and Law were royally screwed.

"My name is Chief Itami, ruler of this land. What brings you to my village?"

Ace blinked a few times in confusion, trying to figure out whether he was hearing things or not.

"Trespassers are not allowed on this island. Your crimes will be dealt with accordingly."

The division commander came to his senses at that, realizing that the man in front of him was really speaking words he could actually understand. Ace opened his mouth to politely retort when he was suddenly whacked over the head again. Stars danced pleasantly in his vision as the chief continued.

"For the disturbance of these laws you shall be sentenced to death by decapitation immediately!" The chief stated in a thunderous tone, throwing his hands into the air as if to finalize everything. Ace felt that if he had been drinking something he would have done a spit-take.

"Death? ! For what? ? We didn't even come here by choice!" The division commander stated exasperatedly. He managed to also effectively dodge the stick that went flying for the back of his head again only to have it come sailing back the other way to smack him in the nose. Ace suppressed a call of pain as a few tears involuntarily gathered at the corners of his eyes while a trickle of blood dribbled from his nose.

"Silence!" The chief called out as a crash of thunder rolled through the sky. The division commander glanced up to see crystal clear blue without a single cloud for miles.

Something strange was definitely going on here.

"What kind of crap due process is this?"

Ace looked over his shoulder to see Law glaring at the head honcho before them. Whether it was from anger or over-exertion, Ace couldn't tell but he had a feeling the other pirate's expression was a combination of the two. However, the main thought that came straight to mind during this was why didn't Law get hit over the head with the stick too? ?

"You dare question my judgment?" The man asked in a warning tone, daring the pirate captain to continue.

"I _dare_ to speak up for my life. Could you not even infer that? Or are you so used to your following sheep braying their affections that you've forgotten what a really person is like?"

Now Ace wished he actually had a stick of his own so he could whack his friend over the head before his big mouth got the both of them killed.

"You insist to defy _my_ laws? !" Chief Itami looked about ready to explode from anger as his face seemed to be glowing bright red. "You insolent brat!" And with that final outraged yell, the chief backhanded Law which caused him to teeter from his strained perch and fall to the ground coughing.

"Let that be a lesson, vermin." Chief Itami said as he scoffed and began walking away. Of course, Law wasn't finished.

"Sure is a piss poor lesson from a pathetic den mother."

The chief stopped midstride and allowed for his anger to resonate through the air a moment before turning around. Ace shot Law a look that questioned his sanity but dropped it for one of dread as the furious chief marched straight up to his friend and gave him a look of pure wrath. The man seemed to hold no qualms about beating an injured person senseless and Ace had to look away as his fellow pirate received several kicks to the gut among other places.

The division commander looked up once again when he heard the beatings stop and the chief order his lackeys to do something. The two men who had been standing on either side of Law and Ace saluted to their leader as he departed in a huff before turning their attention to the pirates and standing them up. Law seemed to be having trouble and was forced to lean heavily on the other man to the point where he was practically being carried. Ace grimaced at the pain the other must be in and allowed himself to be lead along to where ever they were instructed to be taken. Other native soldiers joined them as they strode through town and Ace happened to notice they were lead straight passed what looked to be the execution stocks.

It seemed the chief had something greater planned for the two than just an execution by beheading.

~0~

Trafalgar Law and Portgas D. Ace were practically thrown into their separate cages as they were locked away and left to question what was to be coming in their near futures. The second division commander sighed as he sat down with his wrists still clapped in Sea Stone before glancing through the bars over at Law's cage which was right next to his. The pirate had been left in a crumpled heap on the ground, wheezing for breath and gasping at the pain.

"You're going to live, right?" Ace asked, seriously doubting it as he continued to listen to his friend. Law didn't reply though, instead he calmed his breathing and rolled over to face the hallway just outside of their prison cells. The pirate then strained to sit up and pulled a knife from his back pocket. Ace balked at the scene as he watched Law activate his Devil Fruit powers and effortlessly cut through the rope. When he was free, the pirate captain stood and turned to the bars between himself and Ace.

"How the hell are you doing that?" The division commander asked as he watched the other man cut through steel with a pocket knife.

"What? My Devil Fruit powers? I can…"

"No, not that! How are you functioning after getting the snot kicked out of you by that… den mother, as you put it?"

Law finished cutting a hole between the cells and stepped through, motioning for Ace to stand up.

"It's called acting. When I got the idiot chief royally pissed off I knew he would want to make our deaths slow and painful, so he'd keep us somewhere until he found something creative enough to do the job." Ace raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing while Law easily cut his shackles to pieces. "And when I got the snot kicked out of me, as you put it, I pretended to be in more pain than I was, thus diverting any suspicion of my possible escape." The handcuffs fell to the ground and Ace rubbed his wrists before blowing a puff of fire after having his abilities suppressed.

"Not to mention that while in here we've been reacquainted with someone who managed to get lost."

Ace glanced over to where his friend was referring to and noticed a familiar shape sitting in a corner of one of the cells.

"If I remember correctly, you two were the ones who ran off but somehow still managed to get yourselves caught."

Law chuckled but set to work slicing open the bars that prevented him and Ace from accessing the hallway which led outside. When he finished, he walked across the way to stand in front of the prison cell that was currently holding none other than Aokiji. The pirate captain crossed his arms in an attempt to look authoritative but Ace saw right through it as Law trying to apply pressure to his wound. Obviously it was bothering him and the division commander couldn't blame him for it.

"I have a plan to get Mr. Portgas and I off of this island, but we'll need your help to do it. Not that you really have much of a choice though, since it seems you can't even get out of this cage yourself."

Aokiji narrowed his eyes at that comment but let it slide for the time being.

"You make it sound as if I'll be helping you two to escape only to be left here on this island myself." The admiral stated, obviously doubting the pirates' credibility.

"That depends on whether I can find a Den-Den or not. If we find one then Ace and I can phone our respective ships and you can call whomever it is you want. If we don't find one," Law contemplated his options for a moment before continuing. "Well, I guess I'll just have to get creative."

Aokiji considered the offer for a moment before standing and walking casually over to the pirate.

"Like you said, I don't have a lot of options. I'm against aiding pirates but I guess there's an exception to every rule." The Marine Admiral held out his hand in front of him, waiting for Law to respond. The pirate captain returned the gesture and they shook, coming to an agreement. Law called out his powers once more, grimacing each time he made an incision on the steel and by the time he got to Aokiji's Sea Stone cuffs he had to make several cuts before the pocket knife broke through the stone.

When he finished, Law looked to be more wiped out than before, but neither man commented on it.

"We should retreat to the forest and strategize there." Aokiji stated as he stepped through the hole in the bars.

"Agreed." Ace replied as he walked up in front of Law and motioned for the other pirate to hitch a ride on his back like before. The pirate captain narrowed his eyes and strode right past, ignoring his friend and demonstrating that his was perfectly capable of keeping pace with the other two.

Of course, neither believed him for a second and before he knew it Ace was in front of him again.

"I can walk on my own, thank…"

Law was suddenly cut off as a pair of unexpected hands latched underneath his arms and hoisted the captain into the air and onto the division commander's back. Before he had a chance to angrily retort something at the conspiring men, Ace and Aokiji dashed through the jail and burst through the doors leading outside, running for the tree line as fast as possible.

~0~

AN: quick! someone, take a picture! ive made an update! !

you know what else i've updated? ? ...ok, nothing else. BUT i have come up with two other stories! *cheers*  
Pride - a theory of X Drake and how a Marine became a pirate  
and  
Out of the Blue - for those of us who enjoy Ace and Law _after dark_ (if you know what i mean *wink wink*)


	6. Makeshift Surgery

The sun sank lazily behind the trees, just beginning to bathe the sky in various shades of orange and yellow as time wore on. The two pirates and Marine officer came to a stop in a clearing near a river in the middle of the forest, content with the distance between them and the town center where they had just escaped the homicidal natives. Ace breathed a sigh of relief as he took in the fresh scents of nature and freedom after being shackled and caged.

The division commander then turned his attention to his friend who was currently slumped over his back and breathing deeply as if he were asleep.

"Hey Lawsy, you awake?" The pirate asked, noticing the Marine officer had already taken off his coat and was just beginning to get comfortable. The doctor stirred, pushing himself up from being draped over the other pirate and coughed lightly a few times.

"No, perfectly asleep." Law replied in a raspy voice. Ace snickered and slowly began lowering the other to the ground since the prospect of sleep sounded like a great idea at the moment. When Trafalgar was set down Ace attempted to also investigate their campsite for a good place to go to bed for the night only to be stopped when something cold and clammy gripped his arm. The division commander glanced over his shoulder to see a very pale and ashen Trafalgar Law looking back at him with unfocused eyes. Ace immediately turned to face the other and wrapped his arms around the doctor before the man teetered over from exhaustion.

Of course, Law lost the strength in his legs anyways, forcing Portgas to sink to the floor with him before gently laying the pirate captain on the ground. Ace then sat up, looking down at his frail companion and decided now was a very good time to start panicking.

Law was cold to the touch and shaking ever so slightly which probably resulted from the majority of his blood having seeped into his clothing already. The division commander also didn't need to look too far for where the doctor had been struck by the bullet since the deep, glistening red in the middle of his shirt gave it away.

The doctor closed his eyes, taking in several deep breaths before opening them again and focusing his gaze in Ace's general direction.

"Ace," the pirate croaked out, causing the division commander to snap his focus up to the man currently lying in front of him. Law could see the worry in his eyes and frowned at it, taking a moment to gather all of his remaining strength and divert it to his arm. The doctor shot out one of his fists and connected it with the division commander's jaw, causing the other to look away momentarily before glancing down in surprise.

"What the hell was that for?" The pirate asked crossly as he brought a hand to his face to massage the sore spot. Law internally chastised himself for using too much strength but ignored the thought for now and decided to focus on more important matters at hand.

"Snap out of it, stupid. I'm not going to die so long as you do exactly as I tell you." The doctor stated in the loudest authoritative tone he could muster. It wasn't very impressive or reassuring to the division commander but it would have to do and Ace listened intently. "I only need you to get one thing, understand? I just need two dull bamboo slivers the size of chopsticks."

Ace nodded at the order, hurrying from his injured friend to the nearest bamboo stalk he could find. Law let out another deep breath, preparing for what was to come when the other pirate came back. The doctor suddenly glanced to his side, noticing the Marine officer was coming his way.

"Chopsticks, huh? I don't suppose you're going to get Fire Fist to pluck that bullet out of you like it were a piece of meat?" Aokiji asked as he slowly planted himself down next to the doctor. Law let a grin cross his features, holding back a chuckle before speaking.

"I wouldn't trust him to pull a splinter from my finger, let alone the thing in my stomach." The sound of a large plant being felled could be heard and Law assumed Ace had finally found a patch of bamboo. "I'll be doing it myself. No offense, but I don't much believe in your capabilities in this subject either."

Aokiji grunted in agreement as the division commander came back with his findings. He dropped down next to Law, still speechless about this whole situation.

"Great." The doctor stated as he glanced at the small sticks. "Sterilize them."

Ace gave the other a questioning stare for a moment, taking no initiative to move.

"Not to doubt your skills as a surgeon, since I of all people should know better than that, but you're not seriously planning on using these things to dig out the bullet in your gut are you?"

Law frowned at the other pirate, not understanding what he was trying to get at by pointing out the doctor's lack of surgical tools.

"Unless you happen to have a scalpel and forceps on hand, then yes, I do."

"No, that's not what I meant." Ace replied as he tried to clarify what he said. "I mean, why not use you Devil Fruit powers for that. Since you can slice steel bars in half with little effort I bet it'll be a piece of cake to get that small bullet out."

Law raised an eyebrow at the other, remembering he had never properly introduced his abilities to Ace and the division commander was still pretty ignorant about what he could and could not do.

"It doesn't work that way." The doctor explained. "It would definitely be easy to use my powers but if I were to cut out the bullet then a permanent hole would be left in its place. Not to mention that any damage to the separated shrapnel would also result in damage to me since my powers establish a permanent link between the host and what's been removed. Or at least until what's been removed has been put back."

Portgas gave his friend one last skeptical glance since he was unable to think of any other humane option to choose from in this situation before turning away and puffing a breath of fire on each stick, careful not to burn the edges. When the task was completed, he placed them in Law's outstretched hand. Once they were in his grasp, the doctor began reaching for his shirt to pull it up but hesitated.

"If either of you is squeamish I'd advise you to step away now because I will not tolerate the both of you getting sick." Law quickly informed the pirate and the Admiral. "If you do puke anywhere near me the next place these chopsticks go will be in your eye sockets."

Ace and Aokiji each raised an eyebrow in surprise and silent understanding, throwing a glance at each other but ultimately staying right where they were. The division commander then noticed that Law was getting started and decided it would be a good idea to help the other pirate roll up his shirt. When that was finished, Trafalgar took one last deep breath before locating the hole in his gut with his free hand, using his fingers to better depict the border of the wound where the bullet would be before plunging the bamboo slivers through his congealing blood. Law bit back a scream of pain, choking the sound down to nothing more than a noise of discomfort as he fished through the injury in order to find the projectile. He successfully found it a moment later, getting a tight grip on the bullet and hoping to any higher power that might be listening that it wouldn't slip through and force him to start the whole endeavor over.

The process of removing the tiny object was about as enjoyable as first getting the chopsticks into place and as time wore on, Law had the undying urge to find whoever did this and shoot them enough times to make their corpse look like Swiss cheese.

After many painstaking seconds of slowly removing the bullet, Law finally had it out of his gut, holding it in front of himself and inspecting the little nuisance with a scrutinizing glare, wondering why something so small had to cause so much pain.

Ace called out a sound of joy, his usual goofy smile back in place until he looked back at the wound and noticed it was gushing blood once more.

"Uh, Law? Now what?" The division commander asked as he attempted to do something but drew back before he could touch the other pirate's injury, worried he might harm his friend instead of helping him.

"Now you're going to close it." The doctor stated as he let out another deep sigh.

"Me? How?" Ace asked incredulously, gawking at the other pirate like he had lost his mind.

"Burn it shut."

Now the division commander really balked at the other, staring at Law as if he had grown a third eye. But nevertheless, time was of the essence and Ace took a breath as deep as the ones Law had moments ago, letting it out slowly as he mentally prepared himself for this. He gave a look of consensual understanding to the other and placed one hand in the center of the doctor's chest for support, spreading his fingers wide in order to hold his friend back in case he recoiled violently from the treatment.

"Ready?" Ace asked as he caught the chalk-white expression of the pirate captain brought on by a combination of blood loss and anticipation.

"Just do it."

With the 'all clear' given, the division commander ignited his free hand, hovering it directly over the other man's wound and sending a shot of adrenaline through Law's heart as he felt the heat scatter across his abdomen. Without anymore warning, Ace lowered his hand and skyrocketed the temperature around the doctor's exposed skin until he finally called out from the pain, struggling wildly in opposition as his body reacted instinctively against the burning sensation.

However, Aokiji was on it before the pirate doctor had a chance to kick Ace in the head and secured his legs to the ground, holding them back from lashing out. Whatever pain had occurred from extracting the bullet out of his stomach paled in comparison to this and Law found his mind wandering towards different kinds of torture involving fiery suffering for the culprit behind his immobilization.

When Ace snuffed out his flames, the pirate captain felt like calling out from his joy, glad that all of this was finally over. Now all they had to do was somehow get off of this island and find his crew, then everything would truly be alright. Of course, that part of the plan wasn't going to be accomplished anytime soon so the doctor resigned himself to just getting some sleep for the night and finalizing whatever plans he could come with for their escape tomorrow. However, before he had a chance to close his eyes and drift off to sleep he was violently shaken to attention by none other than Portgas D. Ace.

"Don't you dare fall asleep, Law" The division commander stated cautiously.

"That method is only for head trauma you idiot." The doctor replied bitterly as he attempted to push the other pirate's hands away. Ace recoiled for a moment, not quite sure if he should listen to Law or his instincts nagging him that the pirate captain wasn't telling the truth.

"Don't even try to lie that poorly, Trafalgar." The Marine Admiral stated as he stood once more. "You'll be woken every half hour until you no longer look like the living dead."

Law sighed since his plan for a decent night's rest had been thwarted but wasn't expecting what would transpire next. The doctor wasn't given any chance to brace himself or fend off the impending attack as Ace stripped him of his shirt before he had a chance to protest.

"What the hell are you doing?" The pirate demanded in his most commanding tone. Of course it was choked through a few coughs and his rasping voice which made it much less foreboding than it was supposed to be and the division commander just clumped up the fabric in his hands.

"Even I know a wound like that needs to be covered up before it has a chance to get infected. I'll wash off your shirt and put it on top of your injury so that should do, right?" The pirate turned before Law had a chance to speak up, walking off to the river as the doctor could only watch.

"For being such an accomplished surgeon you really are a terrible patient."

Law turned his attention back to the Marine Admiral to see Aokiji approaching him once more. He knelt down next to the pirate, his uniform jacket folded in his hands and, without asking permission, set to work carrying out his own plan. The Admiral slid an arm underneath the doctor's shoulders and lifted him for a moment before setting him back down onto the folded jacket. Law cocked an eyebrow in confusion.

"For being such a high ranking naval officer you're acting uncharacteristically pleasant towards a pirate like me."

Aokiji smirked before looking away. "I believe in justice, not stereotypes." The Marine replied as he glanced towards the river to see Ace nearly fall in. "I follow my orders without question and help those when they are in need of it. Besides, you're the one with the plan to get out of here, right?"

Law scoffed at that reply, a shiver running down his spine as he wished for his shirt back. Despite the wound on his abdomen burning uncomfortably, the doctor found that the rest of his body was exceptionally cold. Just as he was ready to have Aokiji drag the division commander back from the river, Ace came back with his sopping wet clothing.

"Here you go." The pirate said with a smirk as he set the dripping fabric onto the doctor's wound. Law hissed at the freezing contact, shooting the other man a glare.

"You know, you don't look half bad without a shirt on. I mean, most chicks would definitely fall head over heels for your good looks and tattoos." The division commander commented with a conniving grin. "I have no clue why you don't go around with your shirt off more often."

Law rolled his eyes. "Not everyone can be a narcissist like you, Ace."

Portgas snickered lightly as he sat down next to his friend, reclining back until he was lying beside the doctor. The division commander then turned up his heat output, radiating his Devil Fruit powers so he could share with Law. It was a nice gesture, but the doctor hadn't quit his shivering yet and definitely wanted something to cover his torso more than anything. But just as Law was about to verbalize that point, Ace suddenly rolled over, gently laying an arm across the pirate captain's chest while one of his legs draped over the doctor's.

"Better?" The division commander asked from where his head was resting on Law's shoulder. The pirate wanted to say yes, but then he also wanted to say no because it was definitely warmer underneath Fire Fist but it was also extremely awkward to voluntarily be this close to him. Not to mention an electric blanket was much more useful than a corpse which ruled out the option of stabbing the other pirate in order to make him move. So instead of answering, the doctor just stayed silent as he listened to the sounds of nature slowly falling asleep. The birds quieted their songs one by one as the wind gently tussled through the trees, sending the sound of water tumbling along rocks to the captain's ears just as he also drifted off to sleep.

~0~

AN: you know what random thought just came to my mind? what if there's a devil fruit out there in the op world that gave its host the ability to swim?


End file.
